by Elise Frame

I was ending a long, tiring Sunday. Between volunteering in my church’s nursery, having relatives in town, and finishing up my driver’s education hours, I was exhausted. I collapsed on the sofa and opened up my laptop.

As if by some automatic force of nature, my mouse instantly directed me to Facebook, my favorite time wasting website. As I casually glanced over my friends’ status updates, I came across one that particularly stuck out to me. A student from my school had written a post that said he was “checking out the Twitter feeds from Iran…

this stuff is intense.” I had no idea just how “intense” those messages were.

Being the naturally curious reporter I am, I headed over to Twitter, another social networking website. I was astounded to find the message feeds flooded with comments about the fighting and uprisings the recent election in Iran had fueled. Some of the messages had YouTube online video links attached to them. I was still unconvinced the “revolution” as the various commenters had dubbed it, was really all that bad.

I needed more proof; as a journalist, I knew words were easily manipulated to make events seem twice as bad as they were. I clicked on one of the YouTube links and watched as several still frames flashed across the screen. Hundreds of thousands of people lined- no, engorged- the streets of Tehran, Iran. Protestors held signs high in the air as Basij police forces began to emerge at the corners of the crowd.

The video slideshow of these photographs was just one in a set of videos.
The next video forever changed my life, especially the way I viewed the sanctity of life itself. In shocked disbelief, I watched as a young woman fell to the ground, having just been fatally shot by a sniper. I cannot bear to go into the details of her final moments that I witnessed via YouTube. All I can remember thinking is, “This is real. She’s not an actor. She’s actually dying… and I’m watching her die.” I sat there, stunned. I was not horrified because of the blood or other gruesome sights that accompanied her death. No, the modern media and entertainment world desensitized my eyes to those kinds of images long ago. I was shocked and appalled because this was real. She would not be fine once the camera stopped rolling. She was dead. And I, just like millions of others, had viewed her death from the comfort of my own living room.

I later learned that her name was Neda.

She was a sixteen year-old student in Tehran, Iran. She had been participating in a political protest, demanding that her rights be respected. Not only did she present an example of bravery by speaking out in the first place, but Neda also demonstrated courage by speaking out as a young woman in a society dominated by men. Neda died fighting for what she believed in, for what she wanted to see accomplished in her world. And for that, I hold her in the highest regard.
However, I believe she was violated in her death. What kind of person posts the death of a young woman on the internet for all to see? Yes, it was posted to send a message and make a statement to the world against the Iranian government. But at what cost? So that one could witness the murder of a human life at anytime and any place one felt like doing so? I imagine the grief and pain that Neda’s family and friends still feel very strongly to this day. Did they want their beloved daughter, sister, and friend’s death publicized to the entire world? Did Neda?

Neda’s name means “voice” in Farsi. Despite what Neda may have wanted, and by what means, Neda’s message has carried on past her death. Neda was not afraid to raise her voice for what she believed in her heart to be right, even if it meant death. I never met Neda, and I am not certain that she and I would have agreed on many issues. However, her final moments of life, and subsequent death, have left a lasting mark on my heart and life. I am inspired by her story to stand up for what is right, no matter the cost. I am also convicted to pay more attention to what is going on outside of my own life around the world, and what kind of content presents itself on my computer screen. I have seen just how precious life is and how the world has cheapened its value to astoundingly low standards. Each life is sacred and worth living to the fullest. But most importantly, each life is worth protecting and respecting. Somehow, I cannot help but feel that Neda would have agreed completely.